Deal with the Devil
by holly bergman
Summary: The Dark side can seem very appealing...and sometimes it is. He's made a deal with the devil herself... will he become what he has sworn to fight against? Dark!Neville
1. One

Author's Note: This is the most twisted pairing one can come up with without it being slash. If you like cannon pairings and character that are in character and not going insane…run I tell you!

He not longer felt Azkaban's chill. He no longer heard the screaming prisoners. He could no longer smell the decay and the death. He felt nothing but raw anger and his anger intensified when he saw her in her cell.

She was the only prisoner he could see who wasn't screaming. Admittedly Bellatrix Lestrange was not the woman she used to be but she was the closest thing to beautiful you'd find in Azkaban. Her long black hair hung lankly around her gaunt face. Her heavily lidded eyes now seemed even bigger and her tatty robes clung to her body. When she caught sight of him, she leaned through the bars and gave him her mad little smile.

"Well, well…to what do I owe this cheery visit?" sneered Bellatrix.

Bellatrix's visitor did not take kindly to Bellatrix's attitude. He took a menacing step towards her.

"I didn't come here to listen to your crap Lestrange," he snarled.

Bellatrix seemed a little surprised at this newcomer's manner.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, her jailhouse smile replaced with a slight frown.

The man in front of her began breathing heavily as though steeling himself to say something.

"I want you to teach me," he said finally.

Bellatrix back away from the bars of her cell and stared at her visitor in sheer disbelief.

"_What_?"

"Teach me how to cast it," he said again, his voice growing stronger and more confident.

"Cast what?" shouted Bellatrix incredulously.

For a moment, the man seemed almost as insane as Bellatrix. There was a glint in his eye that she had never seen before. Not even when Harry Potter dragged her into her cell and not when she was given a double life sentence.

"You know what curse I'm talking about," he said, his voice scarcely louder than a whisper.

Bellatrix's eyes widened as realisation hit her. Maybe Azkaban had got to her brain after all…

"Let me get this straight…" said Bellatrix. "You want _me_ to teach you of all people… how to perform the cruciatus curse?"

The silence was only broken by the screaming of the other prisoners. Looking Bellatrix straight in her heavily lidded eyes, he nodded. Bellatrix sat back on her ragged mattress and tried to digest what this man was asking of her.

"I see no benefit for me," she said quietly.

"If you teach me…" he said, a hint of desperation in voice. "I'll break you out."

Bellatrix laughed. Her high, cold cackles filled the entire block. She stopped laugh however, when she realised the he was telling the truth.

"Are you…high?" she asked.

"No."

"Is this some trick? Are you trying to murder me?"

The man almost laughed but Bellatrix certainly did not find it funny.

"Not a bad idea but no…I'm not."

"Let's just pretend I believe you," said Bellatrix. "Why that curse?"

"Because I want to use it on someone," said the man tonelessly.

Bellatrix blinked at the man who remained calm and collected.

"Boy… do you really want to end up in here?" said Bellatrix, gesturing around her damp, filthy cell. "You will get caught… especially if you release me."

"I don't care anymore," he hissed.

Bellatrix could only stare at her visitor. When she finally found her voice, she shook her head.

"This is ridiculous," muttered Bellatrix finally. "Go home …I'm not teaching you."

The man stood still for a moment but he could not contain his anger,

"Do you know what he did?" he shouted.

"Who?" snarled Bellatrix.

"Rodolphus Lestrange… your bastard of a husband."

"Boy, if you keep cursing I'll start to believe you're a figment of my imagination," said Bellatrix dryly. "What did he do now?"

"He killed a girl," he whispered.

There was a sudden change in Bellatrix. She sniggered and stood up again. Now that she had a reason…she did believe him.

"Your girlfriend, I suppose?" she sneered. "Are you finally getting some action? How desperate was she?"

"Shut up!" roared he seizing the bars of her cell that were stopping him from getting his hands on the Death Eater inside.

Bellatrix walked towards the round faced man before her, completely undaunted. With ever step she took, he seemed to become even more furious and even more likely to reach into her cell and strangle her.

"You've got anger boy…that's good. You'll need it."

He prized his fingers of the bars and produced and odd shaped key.

"Are you teaching me then?" asked Neville, still breathing heavily.

"Get me out…then we'll talk."


	2. Two

Bellatrix looked around that dark, damp house and grimaced. Neville tapped a lamp with his wand and there was a small light in the corner but it was not enough to make the place any nicer. It reminded Bellatrix forcibly of Snape's old house. The windows were broken and covered in grime and almost everything was covered by half and inch of dust.

"Very homey," said Bellatrix sarcastically. "Who does your decorating boy?"

Neville scowled at Bellatrix and she sneered back.

"We won't be found here," he said testily. "And you're not in a situation to be picky, Mrs. Public Enemy Number One."

Bellatrix lowered herself down onto a moth eaten chair that was held together by duct tape and a few sewing charms.

"Oh no, I like it," she said. "Very… damp."

Neville ignored her comment. He leaned against the wall and looked at Bellatrix. Bellatrix hadn't seen a chair in almost a year and, though the chair was rather hard and lumpy, she seemed completely relaxed. When she caught Neville starring at her, she shuffled around in her seat and frowned.

"What?" she said, slightly uncomfortably.

Neville's mouth twitched into what could have been a smile when he noticed her discomfort.

"Are you ready or do you need a moment to _savor your freedom _or something?" said Neville.

Bellatrix smiled.

"I'm always ready for the cruciatus curse. Do you need a moment to cry for your grandmother?"

Neville's glare was all the answer she needed. Still smiling, Bellatrix got to her feet. With her recovered wand in hand, she vanished all the tatty furniture from the dreary sitting room until there was enough room for a duel.

"Shall we begin?" she asked.

Neville drew his wand and stood forward. With her smile playing about her lips, Bellatrix circled around Neville. This time, Neville was the one feeling uncomfortable. Then again…it was impossible not to feel uncomfortable when Bellatrix Lestrange circled around you like a vulture that hasn't eaten in weeks while smiling at you and twirling her wand around her fingers. Neither of them made a sound at first. When Bellatrix finally spoke, her voice was soft and deceptively gentle.

"The cruciatus curse has one point and one point only…enjoyment."

Without warning, a jet of red light sped out of Bellatrix's wand and struck Neville in the back. It was pain beyond anything he had ever felt. Bellatrix had cursed him once in the Department of Mysteries but she was right… it had been just a taster. When it was over, Neville found himself on his knees. He couldn't even remember if he had screamed or not. Every bone in his body ached and he was drenched with sweat. When he finally looked up at Bellatrix, he could she that she was still smiling. Neville knew why. He had felt every bit of her pleasure at his pain. Bellatrix leant down towards him, still smiling.

"Get the point?" whispered Bellatrix.

Neville shakily got to his feet and took a breath.

"Yeah…I get it."

"Then why not give me a taste of own medicine?" said Bellatrix slowly.

Neville hesitated and Bellatrix crossed her arms.

"What the matter boy?" she sneered. "Don't you want to hurt me?"

"There you're mistaken."

In a flash, Bellatrix found herself starring at the point of Neville's wand. When the red light hit her, she was blasted of her feet. She recovered very quickly and seemed almost disappointed with Neville.

"That was pathetic," said Bellatrix disgustedly as she got to her feet. "Are you really as useless as Snape said you are?"

Neville flushed.

"I am not useless," he snarled, his nails digging into his palms.

"Prove it!" demanded Bellatrix. "Show me how powerful you really are!"

Bellatrix was struck again and again she found herself on the floor. She took a few breaths before getting up again but she seemed no more affected by the curse than last time.

"Urgh, please…your grandmother could have done better," she sneered.

Bellatrix began to circle Neville again. Her voice became as quiet and soft as it had been before she cursed him. Neville was looking down and breathing heavily with a mixture of disappointment and humiliation. _He had thought that it was easy…_

"You can't be doing this for your precious little fallen angel," said Bellatrix. "It has to be for you. You have to want it more than anything. Aren't you tired of people treating you little a clumsy, little boy? Don't you want to more? Don't you want that unreachable power?"

At those words, Neville looked up at Bellatrix again, his wand ready. She cried out as the curse knocked her off her feet. Every inch of her seared with almost unbearable pain. When she looked up, Neville seemed to tower over her, his eyes gleaming.

"Better…" panted Bellatrix. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

Neville nodded. He was not yet ready for words.

"You're getting the hang of it, Longbottom," she said as she pulled herself off the ground.

"Not _boy_ anymore, am I?"

Bellatrix began breathing heavily and leaned on the wall.

"Oh no… boys can't cast an Unforgivable. Dare I say it…" she paused and smirked at Neville before continuing. "I think little Longbottom's all grown up."

Neville hid he's surprise at Bellatrix actually complimenting him.

"Thank you."

Bellatrix smirk widened.

"Don't get cocky Longbottom… you're not an expert yet. Again…and this time I want you to make me scream."


End file.
